Hesitation Marks makes it quite clear that Trent Reznor is no longer an angry young man but rather a restless, inventive artist who is at peace with himself, and the result is a record that provides real, lasting nourishment.

It’s obvious on the rest of the album that the fear of living isn’t holding Reznor back anymore. This outlook has given a huge boost to NIN’s creativity, and helped the group re-emerge as a relevant, vital, and still weird band.

Hesitation Marks follows the musical lineage that began with The Fragile, but it surpasses recent NIN albums thanks to a deeply personal thematic core and a willingness to push the songwriting into territory that is often dancier and poppier than listeners have come to expect from the band.

What it is ... is an album of bona fide radio hits in an ideal world, a fine example of mainstream rock at its most tasteful, music that’s going to be popular and sell a lot but that’s not afraid to subtly defy expectations of what its makers are.

Its sound is skeletal and spare, as if picking up right where The Slip’s more subdued second act left off, with Reznor's usual adrenalized aggression replaced with jagged digital tics and queasy atmospheres.

I find that “Hesitation Marks” is one of the more accessible albums in Trent Reznor’s discography. But unlike “With Teeth”, it doesn’t shy away from being experimental as hell with some of the most unique production he and Atticus Ross have done yet!

Fav Tracks: Everything, Satellite, Various Methods Of Escape, In Two, Copy Of A, I Would For You, All Time Low

This album is to an extent underrated. Though wasn't ambitious or as exciting as NIN's previous work, it was interesting with groovy to energetic guitars, vocal delivery, weird but fun percussion, and use of analog electronics. Lyrically, the album is too moledramatic and uninspiring.

Trent Reznor's best album since The Fragile. His mastery of his craft and sound are incredible here. While it may lack some of the energy and vitriol that made NIN so popular decades previous, Trent puts together an amazing album with Hesitation Marks.